Martin Wattenberg – Shakespeare, God and Lonely Hearts

Data visualization has historically been accessible only to the elite in academia, business, and government. But in recent years web-based visualizations–ranging from political art projects to news stories–have reached audiences of millions. Unfortunately, while lay users can view many sophisticated visualizations, they have few ways to create them. In this talk I will discuss “Many Eyes,” a web site built by IBM Research, which enables people to upload their own data, create interactive visualizations, and carry on conversations. The goal is to foster a social style of data analysis in which visualizations serve not only as a discovery tool for individuals but also as a means to spur discussion and collaboration. I will provide an overview of Many Eyes, patterns of usage on the site, and what those patterns suggest about the future of visualization.